A latch is an electronic circuit that may be used to store one bit of information. Latches are useful in a variety of applications, including quadrature generators. A quadrature generator may comprise a frequency divider that utilizes at least two latches. A frequency divider circuit may receive as an input signal a periodic signal of a given input frequency and may produce an output signal that is a periodic signal with a frequency that is a fraction (e.g., one-half) of the input frequency.
Quadrature generators may be used in mobile wireless communication devices, such as cell phones or smart phones, as part of, as an example, a local oscillator (LO) circuit. Given the constraints on power consumption of modern mobile wireless communication devices it is desirable to find new ways to reduce power consumption without sacrificing performance. An improved latch configuration is one means for reducing power consumption of a quadrature generator and therefore a communication device.